Located in the heart of Lake Como and surrounded by spectacular mountain terrain, Grand Hotel Tremezzo features one of the most dazzling swimming pools on the planet.

The “Flowers Pool” is nestled among palm trees and tulips in the hotel’s garden area, also the quietest and most secluded section of the property. The setting offers extraordinary views of the lake and nearby Grigne mountains.

After taking a dip in the refreshing waters, honeymooners can sit back, relax, soak in the views, and enjoy delicious food and drink from the hotel’s wood-fired pizza restaurant, T Pizza.

This is one honeymoon experience couples will be looking back on for years to come.

Our latest edition of “Honeymoon with a View” takes us to historic Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Canal District, the stunning Ambassade Hotel is set within 10 beautiful canal houses built during the 17th century.

Overall romantic, comfortable and elegant, the hotel boasts 56 cozy rooms — many of which feature incredible views of the canal — along with exceptional dining and bar options, plus an impressive art gallery.

While situated in a quiet section of the city, the hotel is still nearby to top restaurants, museums, and other notable attractions, making it a great home base for newlyweds looking to explore “Venice of the North.”

Room: Grande Suite

View: Herengracht canal, one of three main canals in Amsterdam’s city center.

Congratulations to Claudia and Mitch, winners of the 2018 Wanderable Honeymoon Story Contest! The newlyweds, who recently traveled to Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia for their getaway, have won $500 towards a first anniversary trip.

We’d like to say thanks to all the newlyweds who shared their incredible honeymoon stories! Stay tuned to Wanderable’s Honeymoon Blog and our Instagram page (@wanderable) as we’ll reveal the Top 5 finalists in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, read below for a few highlights from their honeymoon story along with a link to their honeymoon registry.

“Sometimes you just have to drop everything and go, and what better time to go than when you’re young and in love? Claudia and I were married on December 29th, 2017, and, thanks to Wanderable and our closest friends and family, we embarked on a two-month, three-country honeymoon on January 2nd.

We chose Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia because 1) we are both Spanish speakers, 2) we wanted less tourist, trendy destinations where we could be more active, and 3) we can’t visit Claudia’s home country of Venezuela due to current political issues. Below are the top things we learned.

You’re married, now; there’s no excuse to be shy.

When you’re traveling in the developing world and trying to be adventurous, you tend to do things (and eat things) that can get you into trouble. In Lima, we tried a 17-course tasting menu at a restaurant called Central and stayed in an Airbnb with a shared bathroom; we ate piranhas, octopi, and sea foam, among other things. Lima is the best place to eat on the continent, but it’s not the best place to go to the bathroom, especially not in an emergency situation. That’s when you get over your squeamishness with your spouse and some of their most unpleasant bodily functions. You have to. You’ve entered into the sacred bond of holy matrimony in sickness and in health, and if you’re not down with the sickness, you get over it real quick. I’ll never forget the look on my wife’s face when I got into our tent after a long day of hiking on the Inca Trail. All she said was “You smell,” but her face said, “I am MARRIED to that smell?” That was early on in the trip. We got used to it all by the end, and that’s love, I tell you.

Saving and budgeting are easy even though currency math is hard.

Between Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia over the course of two months, we had budgeted about $6,000, or $3,000 per person. We took more buses than planes and stayed in Airbnb’s wherever possible. Each country has it’s own currency, however, and each currency has it’s own conversion rate.

In Peru that rate is about 3 soles to a dollar. Bolivia’s boliviano is about 13 to one, and Colombia’s peso is a whopping 2800 to one. Math has never been my strong suit, and I was constantly overreacting to restaurant menus in Colombia — “They’re charging WHAT?” Oh wait…that’s reasonable.” Luckily Claudia was there to correct me. I’m very glad to be back in the United States where there’s much less math to do.

Altitude sickness is real, and it is NOT spectacular.

We spent much of our trip in the Andean highlands of Peru and Bolivia. After departing Lima for Cusco on January 7th, we were at least one mile above sea level until we arrived in Medellín on February 1st. That included, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and cities on both sides of the Peru-Bolivia border, and La Paz and other cities in Bolivia. We got very familiar with altitude sickness and its symptoms. Those include shortness of breath, headaches, nausea and exhaustion. You react to it like this:

– “This isn’t so bad. I’m a little short of breath, but I’m ok. Oh wait…I’m still sitting on the plane, and I haven’t tried to do anything.”

– “Holy crap I took three steps and I’m panting.”

– “How can I possibly grab a bag AND walk with it??”

– “I’m going to need a lot of breaks.”

– “The breaks aren’t working.”

– “Maybe eating will help. Maybe I’ll throw up.”

– “I threw up.”

– “Give me allllll the coca leaf tea, please.”

– “Now I feel good enough to nap! And oh my goodness do I ever need a nap.”

– “We’ve literally been here less than an hour.”

Eventually after a nap, you do feel better. You’re body adjusts. We got to the point where we were able to complete the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and we were the fittest couple in our group (not so humble brag). When we finally got back down to sea level, we were ready to run a marathon (just kidding).”

Stay tuned as we’ll be posting Mitch & Claudia’s entire honeymoon story in the coming weeks.

Highlights from their incredible trip include saké tasting in Tokyo, visits to local izakayas, a Japan Rail Pass for access to the country’s bullet trains, and even a stay at a ryokan, which is a traditional Japanese inn.

These newlyweds enjoyed a little bit of everything on their honeymoon to Thailand. Registry favorites include a beachside Thai massage, a snorkeling and cliff jumping tour of Maya Bay, and a traditional Thai cooking class.

From the gorgeous scenery of South Africa’s Cape Winelands to France’s abundance of historic vineyards, the following prominent wine regions are among our favorite travel destinations for an unforgettable honeymoon getaway.

Cape Winelands, South Africa

Whether as a leisurely day trip from Cape Town, or a few days of solid R&R, the Cape Winelands are not to be missed. The Stellenbosch region was the first to create a formal route to access its now 200+ wine producers, and is dotted with boutique hotels, spa-like sanctuaries, fine-dining restaurants, and even informative museums which offer insight into the region’s deep history.

Nearby Franschhoek boasts beautiful landscapes, enriched with French Huguenot heritage, which is immediately evident in the region’s famed “Cap Classique” – the Cape’s take on Champagne. Its boho chic village is lined with bars and bistros, and a hop-on, hop-off wine tram makes traveling between estates a total joy.

Bordeaux, France

With the Atlantic coast to the west, Medoc to the north, and Saint-Émilion to the east, Bordeaux is a perfect place from which to day-trip your way around France. It’s also the perfect gateway to Dordogne, the modern-day home of the ancient country of Perigord — filled with honey-colored medieval villages like Sarlat, more than 1,500 ancient castles, and even truffle markets (check out the stalls in Périgueux).

Image courtesy of The Vines of Mendoza

Uno Valley, Argentina

Argentina’s Uco Valley is one of those rare places that is able to produce quality wines at high altitudes, making it a world-famous region for Malbecs and other red wines. It’s also totally remote and relaxing.

To taste the terroir, post up at The Vines of Mendoza, a 22-villa resort in the foothills of the Andes. It’s set on a 1,500 acre working vineyard, with spa-style bathrooms, en-suite fire pits, and an on-site restaurant imagined by Francis Mallmann. The Argentine super-chef applies his open-flame cooking techniques to regional dishes that showcase Argentina’s famous beef, like four-hours roasted lamb with Anna potatoes and watercress salad.

Napa Valley, California

Northern California’s grape-growing region is widely recognized as one of the premier places in the world for wine production. All the while, it has steadily become one of America’s top honeymoon destinations thanks to its beautiful landscape, diversity of activities offered, charming small towns, phenomenal dining choices, high-class wine making facilities, and elite resorts and inns.

For an incredible day, start with a tour of wine country from above via Napa Valley Balloons. Next, head to Schramsberg Winery outside of Calistoga, famous for its sparking wines, caves and majestic views.

Santorini, Greece

The island of Santorini is known for its Assyrtiko grapes, which produces some very distinct but excellent dry white wines. After checking in to your hotel at the elegant Perivolas Santorini, make your way to Santo Wines, an exceptional winery situated high atop the caldera cliffs just south of Fira.

Stop in for a wine and food tasting right before soaking in a brilliant Santorini sunset. The property also features a deli shop where couples can purchase an assortment of wines plus traditional food products like capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and fava beans.

What’s a Honeymoon Registry?

Wanderable is a new and unique honeymoon registry that allows wedding guests to gift meaningful and memorable experiences to a newlywed couple.

Similar to a traditional registry where the couple registers for gifts, couples will create a Wanderable registry website where guests can choose a thoughtful experience to give based on their unique relationship with the couple.